Merkel affirms German backing for two-state solution

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, left, address the media during a joint news conference prior to a meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Friday, March 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)
(The Associated Press)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, left, arrive for a joint statement as part of a meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Friday, March 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)
(The Associated Press)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends a joint statement with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas prior to a meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Friday, March 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)
(The Associated Press)

BERLIN – Chancellor Angela Merkel is reiterating Germany's long-held support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and its rejection of Israeli settlements.

Speaking ahead of talks in Berlin with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday, Merkel said "I see now, as in the past, no reasonable alternative than the goal of a two state-solution."

The possibility of a two-state solution seemed to have been weakened by U.S. President Donald Trump's statement in February that he could accept a single state, though he's also left the door open to two states.

He's also urged restraint on Israeli settlement construction. Merkel says the settlements are leading to an "erosion of the two-state solution."

The chancellor also warned that if Palestinians want peace, they should not "unilaterally denounce" Israel in international forums.